1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure and a method for designing a component which operates at a high frequency with minimum power dissipation and power consumption.
2. Art Background
Computer technology has progressed today to provide even more functionality on smaller size component. This has led to increased portability of sophisticated computing devices. However, with more electrical elements being put on smaller pieces of component real estate, the power consumed by each component has increased. Furthermore, the problem of the heat generated by the component and the need for providing a way for the heat generated to be dissipated without harming the computing device is more significant. One way to minimize the problem of power consumption and heat dissipation is to decrease the power requirements for the elements on the component. For example, computing elements today typically operate at 5 volts. However, many new components coming on the market operate at a lower 3.3 volts. This is particularly suited for transportable or portable computing devices in which a significant amount of the weight of the device is due to the power supply (e.g., the battery). By using lower voltage devices, the same battery will provide power to the device for a longer period of time. However, as the sophistication of computing devices has increased so as the need for increased operating speed. By decreasing the power consumed by individual electrical elements on a component, the transmission speeds of signals through the elements is proportionately decreased. The resultant effect is that the component operates at a lower operating frequency. For example, for a component to operate at 50 MHz, the propagation delay through a one cycle path would have to be a maximum of approximately 20 nanoseconds. Thus, some signal paths may be able to meet this requirement at 3.3 volts and 5 volts. However, some signal paths which operate around 20 nanoseconds at 5 volts will not be able to operate at the same speed at 3.3 volts power.